Bismarck
Like every strong man, he once saved his own life. An assassin...had fired one shot at him and was about to1 fire a second, this time at closer range. It would have been fatal, had not Bismarck seized the man’s right hand and hurled the weapon to the ground. On another occasion, when he was younger, he had plunged into the water after a man who was drowning — and for the rest of his life, among all the insignia of honor which “go with the make-up of a minister,” he took pride only in2the medal commemorating this rescue. Again, he saved Prussia, when the king was about to1 yield to3 popular pressure and to abdicate, by taking hold of the king’s scabbard and literally shaking him into a mood of self-defence.
None of these three equally important acts would have been possible without4 the assistance of his powerful physique. Wherever he went, he was the biggest man present. ...Emperors of the French and of the Russians, kings, princes, and princesses — all were impressed to see him stoop as he came through the door and then draw himself up again to his full height. Generals and politicians, most of them his opponents for one reason or another, were often astounded, and even terrified, by his build.
— E. Ludwig
assassin n. 行刺者
fatal adj. 致命的
insignia n.〔复〕勋章
commemorate v. 纪念
Prussia 普鲁士，德国的前身
abdicate v. 退位
scabbard n. 剑鞘
literally adv. 真正地
stoop v. 俯身
astound v. 使震惊
build n. 体形
中译 体魄魁梧（俾斯麦）
他像所有强壮的人一样，曾经拯救过自己的性命。一个刺客……已经朝他开了一枪，正准备开第二枪，这一次的射击距离更近了。俾斯麦抓住了那人的右手，用力夺过武器扔到地上，要不是这样的话，那将会是致命的一枪。另有一次，那时他还比较年轻，他为抢救一个溺水者而跳入水中。在他以后的一生里，在“与宰相服饰相配”的所有荣誉勋章中，只有这块纪念那次救人的奖章他引以为荣。再有一次，他挽救了普鲁士。当国王屈服于民众的压力准备退位的时候，他抓住国王的剑鞘，确确实实把国王晃动得下决心自卫。
这三次意义都很重大的行动中，如果不是得力于他那魁梧的体格，无论哪一次都不可能成功。不管他到哪里，他总是在场人中最强健者。法国和俄国的皇帝，还有国王、王子和公主都见过他弓着身子进门然后再挺起高大身躯的样子，这给他们留下很深的印象。将军和政客当中的大部分都因某种原因成为他的对头人，但是他的魁梧身材常常令他们惊愕甚至恐惧。
——〔德〕路德维希
原来如此！
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck（俾斯麦，1815-1898），普鲁士政治活动家，为德意志帝国于1870年成立后的第一任宰相。他宣称德国的问题必须以“血和铁”（“blood and iron”）解决，故有“铁血宰相”之称。普鲁士（Prussia）在当时是德意志帝国的主要成员。俾斯麦曾经是普鲁士驻俄国（1859-1862）和法国（1862）的使节。
增值英语
1 was about to fire... / was about to yield...
be about to-v. 表示即将发生的动作：
We were about to leave when it started to rain. 我们刚要走，这时却下起雨来了。
He was about to rob the bank when he saw a police-car coming.
他刚要打劫银行，突然看到一辆警车驶过来了。
2 he took pride only in the medal...
句式 to take pride in sth / doing sth 或 to pride oneself on sth / doing sth 表示“为……而自豪”：
He takes great pride in his work. 他为自己的工作感到很自豪。
She prides herself on her cooking. 她为自己的烹调技术而自豪。
3 yield to popular pressure...
yield to 表示“屈服”“让步”，也可以说成，bow to 或 bend to，或 give in to：The government yielded to public opinion. 政府屈从于舆论。
He tried to force me to bend to his will. 他试图强迫我顺从他的意愿。
She bowed to these demands. 她接受了这些要求。
He gave in to the wish of the majority. 他听从了多数人的意愿。
4 None...would have been possible without the assistance of his powerful physique
句式 虚拟条件句，常带有 if 引导的从句。这里用了 without 介词短语代替 if 从句 (if it had not been for his powerful physique)：
Without solar radiation, animals and plants would die. ( = If there were no solar radiation, ...) 如果没有太阳的辐射，动植物就会死亡。
Without steel, there would be no industry. ( = If there were no steel, ...) 没有钢铁，就不可能有工业。
名言
To youth I have but three words of counsel
— work, work, and work. — Bismarck
对青年人，我的忠告只有三句话——工作，工作，工作。——俾斯麦